Even without winning an award, it was such an honor to be nominated and to attend the Epoch Awards last Monday night. The evening was an incredible celebration of Kingdom work happening around the world.

Epoch re-framed the idea of heroes. It’s less about caped crusaders and sports celebrities, and more about those obediently and sacrificially following God’s call to care for the poor and make disciples. Those faithful servants are the true heroes, and they were honored in regal style at Epoch.

Together with 400 others in tuxedos and gowns at the historic Fox Theater downtown Atlanta, we celebrated the mighty ways God’s children are making Him known in the earth. It was inspiring to meet and hear the stories of so many who are innovatively working to solve challenges such as poverty, lack of water, HIV/AIDS, and human trafficking. All around the world are people whose names you will likely never know, transforming nations and making an eternal impact. 

Bob Goff, New York Times best-selling author of Love Does, gave the keynote address, encouraging us all that “Love does stuff”. He reminded us once again that it truly is the love of Christ that compels our work in South Africa. And with love as our starting point, our ministry is fueled by compassion and seasoned with grace—showing the heart and character of God with our actions and lives, not just our words.

We are so grateful to have been a part of  Epoch, and will continue to seek out ways to acknowledge and honor the unsung heroes in our midst. Those of you quietly and faithfully doing your best to love God and love people, know this:

We see you.
We value you.
We appreciate you.
And we stand with you.

The world is greater because of your service, and we are honored to be partners with you in this matchless Kingdom work.